Those Daring Young Men and Their Doubleneck Guitars: A Brief History of Multi-Neck Players

Jimmy Page
For many of us, the sight of Jimmy Page playing
his cherry red Gibson EDS-1275 is one of
the classic iconic images of rock guitar. Page
began playing one after recording “Stairway
To Heaven,” and used it extensively both live
and on Led Zeppelin’s recordings, including
“Rain Song,” “Celebration Day,” and “The
Song Remains The Same.” Page commented
on his use of the 1275 in a 2006 London interview
conducted by guitarist Slash (currently
available on YouTube and presented here in
edited and clarified form): “I knew Gibson had
made a doubleneck, and I was sort of aware of
its presence. After having recorded the fourth
album, which had ‘Stairway,’ which was definitely
going to have to be played live, and was
recorded with 12-string acoustic and electric, I
needed something that would affect the pacing
of that, you know, while still using the electric
12-string and electric 6-string neck. So that
was it. The doubleneck was the one instrument
that was going to fulfill it. The Gibson
doubleneck became sort of iconic, you know?
I had to use the doubleneck to play ‘Stairway’
live, and then it started to take shape.… The
doubleneck was tailor-made for that.”

When asked if he had seen another guitarist
using a doubleneck, Page remarked, “It probably
was an American country guitarist, but it
wasn’t Joe Maphis. He played a doubleneck,
but it wasn’t a Gibson. It would have been
accessed from that arena if you like. It was
almost a calling, and there was no other way to
do it. By that point in time, most people know I
used a Les Paul in the early days, so I continued
on the theme of using a Gibson, and it didn’t
let me down.” Page recently donated a later
model EDS-1275 for charity, but it was not the
famous one he used with Led Zeppelin. That
guitar remains firmly in his possession.

Pete Townshend
The Who’s Pete Townshend also used a
Gibson 1275 for a brief period, from approximately
September to November 1967.
Unlike Page’s, Pete’s 1275 was painted black.
Several photos of Townshend playing this guitar
exist, most with the necks not in straight
parallel, but at an odd angle, although one
photo with the necks straight in line doesexist. Some have theorized that Townshend
smashed the guitar, which was broken lengthwise,
repaired with an off-center body joint,
and possibly refinished. This repair caused
the necks to have a slight “V’ shape.
According to whotabs.com, a fascinating
and exhaustive source of information on the
band’s equipment over the years, this guitar
made its first appearance at the Anaheim
Convention Center on September 8, 1967.
It was the band’s second-to-last date on that
tour after a four-day break, so Townshend
may have bought it in California during that
time. Or, it may have been purchased at
Manny’s in New York City before the band
went out to Los Angeles, where they were
recording The Who Sell Out.

Don Felder
Another well-known proponent of the EDS-
1275 is Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles
and now a bandleader and solo artist in his
own right. Felder used the guitar live on
“Hotel California.” His Gibson is finished in
white and has custom wiring with double
input jacks that allowed him to run the
12-string neck through a Leslie speaker while
running the 6-string neck into his amps and
pedalboard. Felder also used a capo on the
12-string neck.

Steve Howe
Steve Howe, guitarist extraordinaire of Yes, is
another white EDS-1275 user. He also owns
two other Gibson doublenecks, an EMS-1235
in black, and a very old doubleneck antique
harp guitar. Howe used the white 1275 extensively
on tour in the seventies on songs like
“And You And I,” and “Starship Trooper.”
The guitar has been retired from live use.
Mike Rutherford
Mike Rutherford of Genesis owns quite a
few doubleneck instruments. His first was a
Rickenbacker 4001 joined to a Rick 360/12 that
was used on the Selling England tour. He then
switched to a Rick 360/12 with a Micro-Frets
Signature baritone neck built in, which proved
to be troublesome onstage. Both guitars were
built by luthier Dick Knight, who then built
Rutherford a 12-string with a baritone 6-string
neck, which also proved to be unstable. Finally,
Rutherford went to Shergold instruments, and
owns five or six in various combinations of 6/12
and 4-string bass/12-string.

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush have
both used doubleneck instruments onstage
and in the studio. Lifeson’s original EDS-1275
was broken by a falling speaker horn at a gig
at Nassau Coliseum in the late 1970s, but
was repaired and repainted afterward. Lifeson
gave the guitar to Eric Johnson as a gift, but
it was stolen within weeks. Lifeson has since
replaced the 1275 with another that he has
used only in rehearsals as of this writing.

Rik Emmett

Rik Emmett in 1982 with his Ibanez Artist doubleneck. Photo by Neil Zlozower.

Rounding out the “Canadian Team” is Rik
Emmett, formerly of the band Triumph, and
now a very successful solo artist. Emmet also
favored the Gibson EDS-1275 and other
doublenecks during his days with the band.
Rik was kind enough to email some comments
regarding his use of doubleneck guitars: “I
have owned eight doublenecks in my day, all
6 and 12 configurations. The first was a cherry
red bolt-on Ibanez Gibson copy, which was
covered in silver reflective mac-tac and was
first used in a band called Act III. I also used
it in the very early days of Triumph, but soon
acquired a white Gibson, and used it from 1976
to about ’78 or ’79. Then, I got an Ibanez Artist
in wine red, and used that until about 1984.
Dean made me a doublneck around 1983, but I
was not happy with it, so I traded it in on some
other gear. Yamaha made me a white custom
SBG doubleneck, which I used from 1984 until
about 1989. That white Yamaha was on the cover of guitar magazines, and was truly a magnificent
bit of custom guitar building.

“In 1989, I ordered and purchased a
Steinberger doubleneck, hoping the body
would be a lot lighter and that the lack of
headstocks less head-heavy to wear. It was
a lot more balanced, and was unbelievably
good for tuning stability, but it was also very
heavy. I stopped using doublenecks in 1991
or so, as I started having trouble with my
neck and back. But in 2008, when Triumph
had its reunion, I had also just struck a new
endorsement with Gibson, and they sent me
a gorgeous white doubleneck, the lightest
one they could find in the Custom Shop.
It still weighs a lot, and I only use it for a
song here and there onstage, but it is by far
the best sounding doubleneck I have ever
owned. The 6-string neck has that absolutely
killer Angus Young SG sound to it, and the
12-string neck rings like a bell.”

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